


A Night in the Mountains

by raediation



Category: Akagami no Shirayukihime, Snow White with the Red Hair
Genre: F/M, Hair Brushing, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sharing Body Heat, obizenyuki/obiyuki-lite, zenyuki gets all the cuddles though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 22:59:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13534335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raediation/pseuds/raediation
Summary: What starts as taking out a group of bandits turns scary.





	A Night in the Mountains

The five didn’t mean to find mountain bandits, but the bandits found them all the same. Their greeting came in the form of a twang of a bow string, an arrow thunking into a tree trunk, and Shirayuki crying out. The arrow had grazed her arm, drawing blood. Zen, Obi, Mitsuhide, and Kiki were swift paying them back for it. Soon all the bandits were tied to Kiki and Mitsuhide’s horses. They’d escort the bandits to the nearest check point, a days journey by horse. Though, it would take them longer in the dark and with prisoners. The five had been just about to stop to camp for the night when the attack began, it would be a long night for them.  
“You two go. Obi and I will watch out for Shirayuki and camp here until you return with a carriage.”  
“I’ll be fine, Zen.” Shirayuki said as she pulled her bandage tight lifting it for him to inspect, “There, good as new.”  
“Master’s right,” Obi said, getting comfortable on his spread out mat, “If one of us had been injured you wouldn’t let us make that journey.”  
“Stay here and rest, Shirayuki.” Kiki said from her mount, battered bandits behind her, “There’s no reason for you to make the trip with us.”  
Mitsuhide smiled, “We’ll be back tomorrow. No need to worry.”  
Shirayuki sighed, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”  
“Don’t be.” Zen said, patting her head as he walked by her.  
Mitsuhide and Kiki trotted away, leaving the three to finish setting up camp. Once the fire was made and the mats laid out, they began to prepare dinner. Zen peeled vegetables, Obi fried something that reeked of spice, while Shirayuki rotated a spit of poultry, a prize Kiki had shot earlier that day, but wouldn’t get to partake in.  
They’d been talking together, laughing and joking when Shirayuki’s words began to slur. Obi and Zen exchanged concerned looks.  
“You okay, miss?”  
Her head dipped making Obi and Zen instinctively reach out to catch her, but she steadied herself, “I-I’m fw-ine, Obi.” She said like she was drunk.  
Suddenly her face twisted in a grimace and she bent in on herself. They were by her side in a moment, pulling her away from the fire, the parts of their meal they’d been working on forgotten on the forest floor. She clutched her chest, her breathing staggered and heavy. With wide eyes she looked to Zen. Understanding, and the fear that came with it, washed over him. At once, their gazes fell on her bandaged arm. Zen unwrapped it, revealing that the otherwise clean wound had swollen and turned bright red.  
“Poison.” The word fell from his lips numbly.  
Obi’s face turned dark. Without a word he stood and began strapping on his knives. Obi mounted his horse just as Zen snapped out of his stupor.  
“Where are you going?” he yelled.  
“I’m going to make those bastards give us the antidote.”  
“We searched them, we didn’t find anything like that!”  
“Then what do you suggest we do, master?” Obi yelled back. They were both scared. Neither of them were healers, she was. Like idiots, they both looked to her.  
“Tell us what to do.” Zen said, holding her in his arms.  
She took a shaky breath, “Find out the poison,” she slurred, “make the antidote from it.” She took labored breaths and winced, clutching her stomach. Zen knew that pain, taken it willingly. He wished he could take it from her now. “There’s a pharmacy I know in the town near the checkpoint,” she breathed, “they’ll have the tools to help.”  
“Obi, find out what it was and go straight to that pharmacy.” Zen relaid.  
Obi kicked his horse into a gallop. “Already on it, Master.” He rode away into the darkness. It was going to be a long night for all of them.  
Zen was left alone with Shirayuki, the crackling fire, and his own pounding heart. He carried her to her mat, laid her down and helped remove her shoes. He looked down at her pained face, sweat beading on her forehead and thought about Garrack looking after him during his regular dosage of poisons. He found himself parroting her. “Talk to me, how are you feeing?” Then he ran his hand across her forehead less like Garrack with a compress and more like himself, desperate and reaching. She was burning up.  
“I’m c-c-cold.” she chattered, “M-m-my hands are c-cold.” She lifted her hand and he took it, it was freezing. Zen didn’t understand the why or how of it all, he just began collecting the blankets and tucked her in tightly.  
“Anything else?” Zen asked, begged, “Anything in your bag that can help?”  
She shook her head, “Just-t compresses for ski-skin wounds.” she chuckled through her chattering teeth, “Ac-actually, I might have a p-powder for food poisoning. And water?”  
He practically flew to their horses, grabbing the canteens, and rooting around her bag for a packet of black powder and returning. He mixed it with her canteen as instructed helped her sit up to drink. Once she finish, he tool her hands. They were as cold as snow, he half worried that the poison had a freezing property, turning its victims to ice even if it was a warm summer night. But then he remembered plenty of times he shivered in his warm bed fighting back against the poison. It was just a fever, her body was fighting and she would win.  
He lied on the grass next to her mat and pulled her fingers close to his mouth. He released hot breath after hot breath, his lips brushing her knuckles. She watched him through hooded eyes, her face flushed from her fever, though his closeness didn’t help that matter. Her teeth still chatter and her whole body shook, it hurt. The blankets didn’t seem to keep any warmth. She rubbed her feet together trying to create friction, but the movement was tiring and the meager, fleeting warmth it created wasn’t worth it. Zen moved her hand to his cheek, letting her palm rest there. He was so warm. His body radiated heat and she just wanted to curl herself up beside him.  
“Come closer.” She said.  
“What’s wrong?” Zen said, nearly dropping her hand, exposing her to the unforgiving cold air.  
“I’m freezing,” she said moving her cool fingers to wrap around the back of his neck, “And you’re so warm.” She pulled him towards herself, gently. she wasn’t strong enough to actually move him, but the applied pressure gave him an idea of what she wanted. He inched himself closer to her, cautiously lifting the blankets and crawling under. His back was exposed, but the night air was warm to him and he didn’t mind. She immediately burrowed her head under his chin and balled her fists into his shirt. She even went as far as to tuck her feet under his legs. Slowly, her shivering stopped and she could finally relax her muscles, or as much as she could relax them while experiencing abdominal cramping. She closed her eyes focusing on her breathing, matching it to Zen’s, feeling his arm muscles tighten around her whenever her exhalation took a second longer than usual. She listened to his heart beat.  
“Zen,” She said, “your heart is pounding.”  
His chest shook with a silent laugh. “I wonder why,” he said.  
“Why?” she asked into his breast, her fingers no longer wound up in balls but lightly tracing her own breath on his shirt.  
“Why?” his chest shook again. “I’m worried about you,” he said like it should be obvious, then, after a pause, “And... we’re... very close, right now.”  
She looked up at his face quizzically. He starred off, not noticing her gaze, his face brooding and flushed pink.  
“Zen... It’s just us right now.” He looked down at her, brooding gone, just Zen. Her nose began to get cold so she burrowed her face back into his neck. “I need you here, like this.”  
He wound his arms around her tightly, pushing her against him like the two of them suddenly weren’t close enough.

The birds chirping and the early morning sun stirred them both to wakefulness. They sleepily began to realize that last night wasn’t a nightmare crossed with a dream. They both smiled groggily and began detangling their limbs from each other. It wasn’t the first time they’d shared a bed, but this waking up in each other’s arms was new. It would have been nice except for all the sweat. Their clothes were wrinkled from it and their hair disheveled. Shirayuki still felt weak, but most of the symptoms seemed to have subsided. They sat quietly for a long time staring at their burnt out fire, abandoned, fly covered food, (they both agreed they were lucky it didn’t attract any animals during the night) and their horses grazing without a care in the world. Both of their stomachs growled, but neither of them wanted to eat. Zen took the dinner away from the camp and buried it in a shallow ditch in the woods then returned to sit by her side. She reached up and began to fuss with his hair.  
“What are you doing?” he said covering her hand in his.  
“Your hair, on this side,” she tried to pat it down and Zen released her to do so, “is standing straight up.” She brushed her fingers over his scalp trying to make it fall normally and Zen accidentally let out a soft moan. His eyes shot open and looked at her, her hand frozen in his hair. He was about to start back tracking and apologizing, but Shirayuki continued her grooming. “Do you like your hair being played with?” She asked, now purposefully raking her nails over his scalp.  
“No one’s patted my head since I was a kid,” he leaned his head into her hand, “This feels nice.”  
His hair was as soft as it looked, she thought. She’d only ever brushed the edges of it, it was nice being able to play with it entirely. She drew him down so that his head lied on the blankets over her legs. She stroked and ruffled, even messaged. His neck muscles were tight, she rubbed until they loosened, just a bit. She’d have to try this again at the palace, when he’s had a rough day.  
Shirayuki didn’t stop playing with Zen’s hair and rubbing neck until they heard the sound of hooves thundering up the mountain path.  
Obi was back, with a vial of antidote. He didn’t need to make the trip the pharmacy after all, the bandits admitted to having the antidote in their hideout. Obi made one of them lead the way to the cave they’d been posted up in. Apparently, they planned to incapacitate Shirayuki with the poison and only give her the antidote once they escaped the others and were safe at their base. Zen asked Obi to remind him to add “attempted kidnapping” to their charges.  
Shirayuki drank the liquid and over the course of the next nine hours, her vitality returned. During which, the three set back to making another meal together, though significantly blander this time around.  
Obi passed out after having his fill, then Kiki and Mitsuhide returned with the cart. They insisted on being informed fully on previous night’s events. Mitsuhide scolded Obi for being so vague and worrying him. Obi only shrugged, “I didn’t have time to explain.”  
Shirayuki thanked him for his haste and it softened everyone. “And thank you, Prince Zen.”  
Zen blinked at her, unsure of why he was being thanked. “For looking after me,” she finished with a smile.  
Zen flushed yet again. “Of course,” was all he could think to say. The aides watched this, but knew better than to ask for details. They camped out that night and continued their trip in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m playing calvin-ball with poison   
> if you enjoyed, please leave kudos and a comment :3


End file.
